Broiled Salty Mackerel of Andong

                                                                                  By Soo Kim

   I attended a centennial festivity celebrating the establishment of Korean Day in America. It took place in Los Angeles from October 12 to October 15, 2023. Various agricultural products from Korea were imported and displayed in every booth. The venue was crowded with too many buyers, reminding me of the market days held in the Korean countryside every three or five days in a month.

   More than one decade after the Korean War, there were no supermarkets or marketplaces in Korea. People used to wait for market days to buy food or clothing. If there were any necessary items to buy or sell during market days, people would go there. I used to go shopping with my mother, who would buy a dozen salted mackerels and bring them back home.

   Andong city is renowned for producing great classical scholars in Korean history, born along the beautiful Nak Dong River flowing through it. During the Chosun dynasty, a Confucian scholar named Yi Whang built a lecture hall called Do San Seu Won to teach Confucius to his disciples. In the middle of the Chosun Dynasty, the Prime Minister Sung Ryong Rhew is famous for his dynamic contribution to achieving victory by Admiral Rhee Sun Shin against Japan's invasion.

   Ha Hwe, the hometown of the ex-Prime Minister of the Yi dynasty, Sung Ryong Rhew, is famous for Queen Elizabeth ll and planting a moderate pine tree by former Gweorge H. W. Bush and First Lady Loura at the Lecture Hall called Byung San Se Won. Additionally, the city is renowned for its unique masks made in Ha Hwe and dancing while wearing masks, a cultural heritage recorded by UNESCO. In the Lecture Hall, there has been a memorial tablet for Sung Ryong Rhew.

   Moreover, Andong city is famous for its ardent spirits and ramie fabric. How could I forget the salted mackerel? After broiling it, I used to eat its meat with a spoonful of freshly steamed rice. It was too delicious and savory to chew and swallow. I could easily finish one bowl of rice with it alone.

   Since the Korean War, I couldn't have enjoyed salted mackerel to the fullest. Andong city is located far from the sea, and transportation was not easily available, making the price expensive for commoners. My mother used to buy a dozen salted mackerels tied with rice straw to offer in sacrificial services for ancestors. There wasn't even one refrigerator after the Korean War. She hung them on a nail under the eave. When I looked up at them, my mouth watered, and I smacked my lips.

   Right after the Korean War, Korea's economy was devastated and catastrophic. People were in straitened circumstances, and beef or fish was very rare and expensive for commoners. I always looked forward to the offering day for sacrificial services for ancestors. My mother would offer several salted mackerels on the offering table. After the service, my father was served with the offered mackerels. Siblings couldn't share any mackerels. I was eager to eat some of its meat. My father sensed I craved it, so he ate only its head and gave the meat to me and my brother. He looked happy to see me eat it deliciously.

   Mackerel is very rich in Omega 3 which is very good for brain functioning and lowers cholesterol and cardiovascular disease lowered. It is rich in iodine and good for mental health.

   As soon as fishermen catch mackerels, they don’t preserve them with salt. They transport fresh mackerels to consumers’ places and then they preserve them with salt. Because fish taste very good due to enzymes produced right before spoiled.

   Right before mackerel goes spoiled, glycogen in meat is resolved into milk acid which produces a flavorful taste. From the harbor of Yung Deuk, it takes one day to deliver fresh raw fish to Im Dong Myun, which is the right place for fishermen to preserve fish with salt. The delicious taste of salted mackerels.

   The natural geographical position of Andong City came to be famous for delicious savory salted mackerel throughout Korea. Therefore, I am very proud of Andong City where I grew up from childhood.

   This year is almost gone. However, I have an unforgettable memory of a centennial festivity celebrating the establishment of Korean Day in America. The venue was full of Korean agricultural products. This festivity reminded me of market days long ago in Korea.

   In America, I can’t taste all the mackerels of Andong. Someday, I will visit Korea shortly and stop by Andong City. I am looking forward to seeing salted mackerels in Andong City.